Process for the production of a leather substitute.



a subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary,

- stitute and consists in certain novel steps 'tion of ,india'rubber,gutta percha, or a mixcalenderlng machines or the like and dried.

. solvent alcohol is asuitable pre'ci "tant, and

andnuseful mprovements in and Relating to Processes for the Productionofa Leather Substitute, of which the foll'owing. is a speci like or oil,caoutchouc or balata and subse- "quently treating with reagentswnieh'fpre "or the like may be added, in order to increaseinethylalcohol may. be used as the precipitant.

. STATES-PATENT" RunoLr WEEBER, or VIENNA, ausrnm-nuncany.

rnocnss roam rnonuc'rron or A nEA'r'rma suns'rrrursi To all whom it maymam.

Be it knownthat I, Rumour Wnsnmz, a

residing at Vienna, in the Empire of Austria-Hungar have inventedcertain new.

fication. 7

My invention is an improvement .in a proccess for the production of aleather subhereihafter described and claimed.

'The invention consists essentially in treatin'g vegetables or otherfibersywith a solu ture ofthesesubstances or a solution of cel lulo'seof any kind such for instance as nitro. cellulose,cellulose-xanthogenate or with a solution -of' animal or vegetablealbumen casein, .or with a solution of gelatin or the cipitate thesematerials. Theeproduct thus obtained is 'then passed threugh suitablep'ressingapparatus such as pressure rollers,

Oils, soft resins, glycerin, pa'rafiin, train oil,

the'softness and flexibility of the final prod uct. Tar, asphalt-or thelike may be" also added to soften the product. Forrubber or guttaerchasolutions which have benzin as the so vent, acetone is a suitableprecipitant. When bisulfid of carbon or benzol is the with tetracloridof carbon, as t'e, solvent Specification of LetteraPatent. ApplicationflledJuIy 23,1907. Serial No. 385,222. I

which the solution so obtained is treated Patented July-6, 19cc.

drying. and pressing the precipitate after.

with a solution of cellulose and the cellulose is precipitated or theprocess may be re versed. The last precipitate thus obtained is thenpassed through suitable pressure devices and then dried. 7

The product obtained by the process resembles leather very closely beinflexible, extensible and possesses a hi h strength and the othertphysicapro nets of substitute for that'mat'erialL In" order .to increase still.further the strength and uniformity of the product, it.

can be inercerized preferablyby the use of '7 e ee of leather,- so thatit may be used as. aeo'inplete I caustic soda solutions Fiirther ifthematerial has been treatedwith 'india' rubber or guttwpercha, it can bevulcanized in the usual manner in' order to increase its stren th andthis may be done either before or a ter the mercerizing. Thefinished'product may also if desiredbelcoa'ted, on one or both sideswith indi'a rubber, celluloid, nitro-cellulose,

and viscose, albumen or the like, and it may be colored by theaddition-of suitable coloring material during the produ tion.

The process above describ d consists in the following steps- Treatingfibers either vegetable or animal with a solution of india rubber,g'utt'a'percha or the like, by placing the fibers in the solutioinfl andadding a reagent to precipitate the rubber or guttapercha from theirsolvent upon the fibers,

for the purpose of uniformly impregnating the fiber with theprecipitatedsubstances, and afterward drying and pressing the fibers andthe precipitate thereon to form a sheet. 7 9

The solvent may be recovered and re-used.

I claim: i

"1. A process for producinga leather. substitute, which consists inadding fibrous material to a, solution of balata, .caoutchouc andgutta-percha, precipitating the agglutinant on to the fibrousmateriahseparatmg i the fibrous material from thesolution, adding an oilto make the fibrous material soft and flexible, and forming saidmaterial into a sheet. I

,2. The process for producin leather substitute, which consists in ading fibrous a sheet.

material to a solution of an agglutinant, In testimony that-I claim theforegoing I precipitating the agglutinant from the soluhave hereunto setmy handthis sixth day of (ion on to the fibrous material, separating IJuly 1907. the fibrous material from the solution, addingan oil to makethe fibrous material soft and flexible, undforn'iing said material intoRUDOLF WEEBER. WVitnesses:

HARRY BELMONT,

Rom. W. HEINGARTNER.

